Incinerators



June 10, 1958 R. M. SHERMAN 2,833,014

INCINERATORS Filed July 25, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 l lll, l

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`lune 10, `1958 R. M. SHERMAN INCINERATORS Filed July 25, 1956 I' 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Izvez'ana4.

' June 10, 1958 RM. SHERMAN INCINERATORS 4 sheets-sheet s Filed July A25, 1956 United States Patent Office Z,838,Glfi Patented June 10, 195B INCINERATORS Rallston M. Sherman, Glastonbury, Conn., assignor to The Silent Glow Oil Burner Corporation, Hartford, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application July 25, 1956, Serial No. 600,111

9 Claims. (Cl. 110-8) My invention relates to incinerators.

The invention has among its objects the provision of an incinerator which will incinerate material without the production of smoke and odoriferous gaseous products of combustion, particularly, but not exclusively, such material as the animal carcasses and parts thereof to be disposed of by biological laboratories, hospitals, and the like, it being understood that such carcasses and parts ordinarily contain a large proportion of water making it diicult to burn them and that when burned the resulting gaseous combustion products ordinarily tend to be extremely objectionably odoriferous. Incinerators according to the present invention have provision for drying such and other wet material for rendering it readily burnable, completely consuming it, and treating the resulting gaseous combustion products for rendering them entirely odorless.

vThe invention however will be best understood from the following `description when read in the light of the accompanying drawings of several embodiments of the invention, while the scope of the invention will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan of one form of incinerator according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Figs. 3 and 4 are sections on the lines 3-3 and 1 -4, respectively, of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 -is a plan of another form of incinerator according to the invention;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and

Figs. 7 and 8 are sections on the lines 7-7 and 8 8, respectively, of Fig. 6.

Referring particularly to Figs. l to 4 of the drawings', the incinerator illustrated by them comprises opposite side walls 1 and 3,*opposite end walls 5 and 7, a bottom wall 9, and a top wall 11. Intermediate its length the incinerator is provided with an interior vertical transverse partition 13 separating it into av charging chamber 15 for reception of the material to be incinerated and a second chamber 17 which receives gaseous products of combustion from the charging chamber.

At the bottom of the charging chamber and above the bottom wall 9` of the incinerator is a horizontally eX- tending wall 19 adjacent the incinerator'end wall 7.` In the space between the inner edge 21 of the wall 19 and the vertical partition 13 is positioned a row of spaced arcuate grate bars 23 extending from the incinerator side wall 1- to its opposite side wall 3. The material to be incineratedv rests on the grate formed by these bars, the upper wall 11 of the incinerator being provided with an opening 25 having a hinged cover 27, which cover may bel opened for permitting the charge to be entered into the charging chamber, after which and prior to initiating the lincinerating operation the cover may be closed.

Beneath the charging chamber 15 and grate bars 23 is a space 29 which is placed in communication with the lower portion of the second chamber 17 by anY opening 31 formed in the partition 13. It will be observed that the spaces 33 between the grate bars, the space 29 beneath the grate bars, and the opening 31 in the partition 13 together form a passage beneath the charging chamber placing the lower portion of that chamber in communication with the lower portion of the second chamber 17. The chamber 17 has an upward extension 35, which extension in its top wall is formed with a reduced diameter opening 37 communicating with the interior of an open ended sleeve 39. On this sleeve may be placed a stack (not shown) of short height, or the sleeve itself in conjunction with the extension 35 may in many instances serve as a stack. interiorly thereof the sleeve is provided with a manually adjustable damper 41 for regulating the effective cross-sectional area of the opening aiforded by the interior of the sleeve. By this construction the gaseous products of combustion are caused to ilow from the bottom portion of the charging chamber 15 through the above mentioned passage into the lower portion of the second chamber 17, y

in which latter they ascend toward the stack.

As shown, the end walls 5 and 7 of the incinerator are interiorly convexly curved as viewed in horizontal planes. The opening 31 at the bottom of the partition 13 is shown as positioned at one side of the vertical plane containing the vertical axes of curvature of these walls.

At its upper portion the partition 13 is shown as provided with a second opening 43. This second opening is shown as positioned adjacent the incinerator side wall 3, that is to say, at that side of the vertical plane containing the vertical axes of curvature of the end walls 5 and 7 which is opposite the side thereof at which the opening 31 is shown as positioned. This opening 43 is provided with a closure member 4S fixedly mounted adjacent one vertical edge thereof on a rod 47. This rod extends vertically through the top wall of the incinerator, in which wall and in a block 49 carried by the partition the rod is rotatably supported for hingedly supporting the closure member. The rod at its upper end is shown as provided with a handle lever 51 for turning the rod for swinging the closure member into its open and closed positions.

In alignment with the opening 43 in the partition 13 is shown the air blast tube 53 of a conventional gun type power oil burner provided with an oil atomizing nozzle 55. This burner, as shown, comprises a fan or blower 57 for supplying combustion air to the blast tube 53, an oil pump 59 for supplying oil under pressure to the nozzle 55, and an electric motor 61 for driving the blower and pump. As shown, the oil pump has an oil discharge pipe 63 leading to the nozzle, this pipe for reasons hereinafter explained being provided with a manually operated valve 65 for interrupting the supply of oil to the nozzle so that the burner may be operated for supplying air only to the incinerator.

The burner when in full operation with the closure member 45 is open position projects a blast of flame horilzontally across the second chamber 17 and into and through the opening 43 into the charging chamber 15.

.This blast of llame will contact the gaseous products ascending through the chamber 17 toward the stack, and cause part of those products to iiow with the flame through the opening 43 into the charging chamber so that such part of the products will recirculate through the incinerator before'passing into the stack. The amount of gaseous products so recirculated may be regulated by adjustment of the damper 41 which as it is progressively closed progressively restricts the discharge opening provided by the sleeve and acts to increase the fraction of the gaseous products recirculated. It will be understood that when the supply of oil to the burner is interrupted, with the result that the burner projects only a blast of air across the second chamber 17 into the charging chamber,

the same results will be secured in respect to causing a recirculation of gaseous combustion products.

Positioning the openings 3 1 and 43 at the side of the vertical plane containing the vertical axes of curvature of the incinerator end walls, and the curvature of those walls, cause the gases passing through the charging chamber and the second chamber 17 and the passage connecting the lowerportions of the two to whirl and thus promote intimate mixture of those gases and secure complete combustion. It will also be understood that when the supply of oil to the burner is interrupted, and only air is discharged through the opening 43 to the combustion chamber, the same whirling of the gases will occur.

Also, as shown, the incinerator is provided with a fan or blower 67 driven by an electric motor 69 for supplying combustion` air through an opening 71 into the upper portion of the charging chamber. This supply of air may be used to augment the amount of combustion air supplied the charging chamber by the oil burner, but the blower is primarily provided for supplying combustion air to the charging chamber when the closure member 4S is in its closed position.

As shown, the incinerator is provided with a second oil burner having a fan or blower 73 and an oil pump 75 both driven by an electric motor 77. The air blast tube 79 of this burner at its discharge end has the oil atomizing nozzle 81, and, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, extends horizontally through the partition 13 and opens into the opening 31 in that partition at the inner side wall of such opening, so that a blast of burning mixture of air and atomized oil may be projected transversely across that opening. Such blast highly heats the walls of the opening, and such heated walls and the flame filling the opening, which walls and llame the combustion products owing through this opening contact, act to break down and burn the odoriferous constituents of such products so that the gases being discharged from the incinerator tend to be wholly odorless. Also any smoke producing particles contained in such products are caused to burn by reason of their contact with such walls and the flame.

In the normal operation of the above described incinerator the cover 27 of the charging opening may be opened and the charge entered into the charging chamber, whereupon the cover may be closed. The closure member may then be swung to its open position and the oil burner having the blast tube 53 placed in operation. The burner will discharge a blast of burning mixture of air and atomized oil across the second chamber 17 into the charging chamber. The products of combustion of the flame will play over the charge and pass downward through it and hence through the openings between the grate bars into the space 29 beneath those bars. From this space the products will flow through the opening 31 in the partition 13 to the chamber 17, through which chamber they will ascend toward the stack. As a result of the flame playing over the charge, and it and the combustion products passing downward through it, the charge will be dried, and when it dries suiciently it and the gases distilled from it will ignite. The amount of air supplied the mixture discharged by the oil burner is in excess of that necessary to burn the oil and in such amount that such excess is available for supporting the burning of the combustible gases evolved from the charge while it is being dried and the burning of the charge after it dries suiciently to ignite. lf desired, such amount of air may be augmented Yby placing the blower 67 in operation, although that will not ordinarily be necessary during this stage of the operation. After the charge is dried suciently to burn, the supply of oil to the oil burner having the blast tube 53 may be interrupted by closing the valve 65 in the burner oil supply pipe, under which conditions only air will be projected into the charging chamber through the opening 43, such air to support the incinerator shown by Figs. 5 to 8 may be conveniently` combustion of the burning charge. Simultaneously with placing the burner having the blast tube 53 in operation the burner having the blast tube 79 may be placed in operation to cause breaking down and burning of the odoriferous constituents of the gaseous combustion products iiowing to the chamber 17 and to cause burning of any smoke producing particles contained in such products. Also, while oil is being supplied the nozzle 55 the flame projected across the upper portion of the chamber 17 will be contacted by the gases ascending through that chamber, and such llame will therefore act also to break v down and burn any odoriferous constituents and smoke producing particles that may be contained in such prod ucts when they reach the zone of such flame. It has been found that when the charge is about consumed best results may be secured in consuming 'the remaining fractions thereof by placing the burner having the blast tube 53 entirely out of operation, and at the same time moving the closure member 4S to its closed position to prevent the gaseous products from passing through the opening 43 and hence to the stack and to force them to pass downward and flow through the opening 31 in the partition to cause them to be treated by the ame from the burner having the blast tube 79, this last mentioned burner normally being continuously operated during the entire incinerating operation until all the charge is consumed. When the closure member 4S is in its closed position combustion air may be supplied to the charging chamber by placing the blower 67 in operation.

It will 'be understood that instead of supplying the nozzles of the burner with fuel oil they may be supplied with fuel gas under pressure, in which case the oil pumps will `be omitted and the pipes supplying the nozzles will Ibe connected -t-o a source of such gas.

The blast projected across the second chamber 17, acting to cause recirculation of a fraction of the combustion products through the incinerator, serves to insure, under high flame conditions resulting from any very rapid 'burning of the charge, tha-t all odoriferous constituents and smoke producing particles of the combustion gases will be consumed. Further, the fraction of the gases recirculated contain carbon dioxide which increases in amount with the rapidity of burning of 'the charge. Such rapid burning will tend to be very pronounced when the charge contains, for example, a large amount of fatty material, and is lia'ble if not controlled to assume dangerous proportions. However, it may be controlled by the bla-st lbeing projected by the oil burner .across the second chamber 1-7 because, as rapidity of burning of the cha-rge tends to increase, the amount of carbon dioxide in the fraction of the gases carried by the blast into Ithe charging chamber will contain more car- .'bon dioxide, and, as the amount of carbon dioxide increases, the air of t-he blast supporting combustion of the charge will be more diluted with carbon dioxide to decrease the rate of combustion of the charge, in which connection it will be observed Ithat said fraction may be regulated by more or less closing the damper 41.

The incinerator -hereinbefore described is particularly adapted when of the larger capacities. The structure of employed for the incinerators of smaller capacities.

The square ended incinerator `shown by Figs. 5 to 8 comprises the bottom wall r83, opposite end walls and 87, opposite side walls S9 and 91, and top wall 93. Extending across the incinerator from one side thereof -to the other is shown a vertical partition which divides the incinerator into a charging chamber 97 and a second Ichamber 99. As shown, 'the partition 95 at its lower edge is notched to form an -opening 101 into which extends and tit-s the end of a tunnel-like structure comlprising the opposite side walls 103 and top wall 105. The side and ltop walls of the passage 107 formed by this `tunnel-like structure terminate in spaced relation to the end .wall 87 of the incinerator, as clearly shown by Fig.

6, so that said passage opens into the lower portion of Athe charging chamber 97 and places that porti-on in communication with the lower portion of the second cha-mber 99.

The charging chamber of the modification shown by Figs. 5 to 8 is provided with a hinged cover 109, so that When such cover is opened the charge may be entered into the chamber and the cover then closed. As illustrated, lthe charge is received in a `basket having a lower shallow pan-like portion 111 of heat refractory metal, to `the vertical sides 113 of which portion are welded the lower end portions of spaced vertically extending rods 115 of heat refractory metal. At their upper ends Ithese rods are shown as 'being held in spaced relation by horizontally extending rods 117 of like material welded t0 their upper end portions. As shown, the basket which is removable rests on the top wall 105 of the tunnel-like structure forming the passage 107. This wall in a manner4 hereinafter explained is highly heated during the lincinerating operation and thu-s acts to cond-uct heat to the charge contained in the basket for promoting combustion ot' such charge.

As shown, the second chamber 99 has a top opening 119 in communication with an upward extension 121 of such chamber. Said extension itself is continued upward by a sleeve `123 of reduced diameter, to `which sleeve the lower end of a stack may be connected or the eX- tension and sleeve may be permitted j-ointly to act as a stack. Within this sleeve is shown a manually adjustable damper l125 which serves for the same purpose as the damper y41 of the ncinerator according to Figs. 1 to 4 hereinbefore described.

As illustrated, the vertical partition 95 is provided intermediate its height with an opening 127 corresponding to the opening 43 in the partition 13 of the ncinerator according t-o Figs. 1 to 4, and with this opening 127 is associ-ated a closure member 129 corresponding to the closure member 45 of the ncinerator according to Figs. l to 4.

In the modification ac-cording to Figs. 5 to 8 the burner having the air Iblast tube 53 and nozzle 55 is positioned in alignment with the opening 127 so as, as heretofore, to project when the closure* member 129 for such opening is in open position a blast of flame or air through the opening into the charging chamber, the charging chamber adjacent its top also having an opening 131 in the ncinerator side wall 89, through which opening eX- tends the bla-st tube 133 of an electric motor driven blower 135 for supplying combustion air to lthe charging chamber.

in `the modication of the invention shown by Figs. 5 to 8 the oil burner having lthe air blast tube 79 and nozzle 81 is positioned to discharge a burning mixture of atomized oil and air through the ncinerator end wall 87 and longitudinally through the passage 107 connecting the 4lower portions of the lcharging chamber 97 and second -chamber 99, the mixture being projected in Ithe ldirection in which flow the gaseous combustion products of the burning charge. It has been found that having the air blast tube 79 opening directly through the incinerator end wall and projecting lthe flame longitudinally of the passage 107 is structurally more desirable than having, as in the modification shown by Figs. l to 4, the air blast tube extend through the partition separating the Itwo chambers of lthe ncinerator to project lthe ame transversely of the opening at the lower porti-on of `the partition. However, in the modification shown 'by Figs. 1 to 4 unsatisfactory results are secured in projecting the ame longitudinally of the passage connecting these two chambers because it has been found that doing so interfetes with the draft causing the flow of gaseous products downward through the spaces between the grate bars. Furtheigvwith the construction shown by Figs. 5 to 8 the walls -of the passage 107, which are heated to incandescence by the flame from the associated oil burner, may

be made relatively long and hence present a relatively large area for contact of the gaseous combustion products with them, which is of advantage when the incinerator is of relatively small size.

It will be obvious from the similarity of the incinerator shown by Figs. 5 to 8 to that shown by Figs. 1 to 4 that the ncinerator according to Figs. 5 to 8 may be operated in substantially exactly the same way as that hereinbefore described in connection with Figs. l to 4 and therefore it is believed no further description of the operation of the ncinerator according to Figs. 5 to 8 is necessary.

It will be understood that within the scope of the appended claims wide deviations may be made from the forms of the invention herein described without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. An ncinerator having Walls which form a charging chamber for reception and incineration therein of the material to be incinerated, form a vertically extending combustion chamber separated from said charging chamber by a vertical partition, and form a passage beneath said charging chamber opening into the lower portions of said charging chamber and combustion chamber for placing them in communication; the walls of said combustion chamber being formed at its upper portion with an yopening for placing it in communication with a stack whereby to cause flow of combustion products from said charging chamber through said passage into said com'- bustion chamber for ascent through the latter to and into said stack, said partition being formed with an opening placing said combustion chamber in communication with said charging chamber at a point below said opening which places said combustion chamber in communication with the stack and above the opening of said passage into said combustion chamber, means comprising a power burner for discharging a burning mixture of fuel and excess combustion air across said combustion chamber from its wall opposite said partition to and through said opening in said partition into said charging chamber for burning smoke forming particles contained in the gaseous combustion products ascending said combustion chamber and breaking down and burning odoriferous constituents of such products and for treating the charge in said charging chamber and supplying the latter with combustion air and for forcing part of the combustion products ascending said combustion chamber through such opening into the charging chamber for recirculation through the charging chamber, passage, and combustion chamber before entering the stack.

2. An ncinerator according to claim l in which those vertical walls of the charging chamber and combustion chamber which are remote from each other are interiorly of said chambers concavely curved in horizontal planes, the opening in the vertical partition placing those chambers in communication being positioned at one side of the vertical plane containing the axes of curvature of said walls, and the power burner discharging a burning mixture across the combustion chamber into said opening being correspondingly positioned.

3. An ncinerator according to claim 1 in which those vertical walls of the charging chamber and combustion chamber which are remote from each other are interiorly of said chambers concavely curved n horizontal planes, the opening in the vertical partition placing those chambers in communication being positioned at one side of the vertical plane containing the axes of curvature of said walls, and the power burner discharging a burning mixture across the combustion chamber into said opening being correspondingly positioned, the opening into the combustion chamber of the passage which places the lower portion of the charging chamber in communication with the combustion chamber also being positioned at one side of said vertical plane containing the axes of curvature of said walls.

4. An incinerator according to claim 1 in which damper means are provided for restricting the discharge of combustion products from the combustion chamber into the stack for regulating the amount of such products forced by the blast into and through the opening in the vertical partition.

5. An incinerator according to claim 1 having means comprising a second power burner for projecting a burning blast of fuel and combustion air into the passage which connects the charging chamber with the lower portion of the combustion chamber for contact with combustion products ilowing through said passage and for heating to incandescence wall portions of said passage contacted by such products, wherebyk to burn smoke forming particles contained in said products and break down and burn odoriferous constituents of such products.

6. An incinerator according to claim 1 having means comprising a second power burner for projecting a burning blast of fuel and combustion air into the passage which connects the charging chamber with the lower portion of the combustion chamber for contact with combustion productsilowing through said passage and for heating to incandescence wall portions of said passage contacted by such products, whereby to burn smoke forming particles contained in said products and break down and burn odoriferous constituents of such prod- Y ucts; the incinerator also having means for-closing, when the other power burner is placed out of operation, that opening in the vertical partition which places the combustion chamber intermediate its height in communication with the charging chamber, and means for admitting combustion air to said charging chamber when said opening is so closed.

7. An incinerator according to claim l having means comprising a second power burner for projecting a burning blast of fuel and combustion air into the passage which connects the charging chamber with the lower portion of the combustion chamber for contact with combustion products flowing through said passage and for heating to incandescence wall portions of said passage contacted by such products, whereby to burn smoke forming particles contained in said products and break down and burn odoriferous constituents of such products; the other power burner having provision for interrupting the supply of fuel to the blast projected by it whereby to cause it to discharge air only from the burner into `and through the opening in the vertical partition.

8. An incinerator according to claim 1 having means comprising a second power burner for projecting a burn-V ing blast of fuel and combustion air into the passage which connects the charging chamber with the lower portion of the combustion chamber for Contact with combustion products flowing through said passage and for heating to incandescence wall portions of said pas- Sage contacted by such products, whereby to burn smoke forming particles contained in said products and break down and burn odoriferous constituents of such products; the opening of said passage to the charging chamber being constituted by the openings of a grate at the bottom of the charging chamber, which grate is adapted to support the charge in the charging chamber and divide that chamber from said passage, said second power burner discharging said blast into said passage transversely thereof at a point between said grate and the opening of said passage into the combustion chamber.

9. An incinerator according to claim 1 having means comprising a second power burner for projecting a burning blast of fuel and combustion Iair into the passage which connects the charging chamber with the lower portion of the combustion chamber for contact with cornbustion products ilowing through said passage and for heating to incandescence wall portions of said passage Y contacted by such products, whereby to burn smoke forming particles contained in said products and break down and burn odoriferous constituents of such products; the opening of said passage to the charging chamber being at a point remote from the vertical partition, which latter is formed with an opening placing said passage in com -munication with the lower portion of the combustion chamber, said second power burner discharging said blast longitudinally of said passage from adjacent said opening of said passage to the charging chamber toward said opening in said partition.

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